Combined trolley-pole base and catcher.



H. B. VAIL.

COMBINED TROLLEY POLE BASE AND GATGHER. APPLIGATION FILED rmm. 1911.

PatentedNov. 21, 1911.

3440mm .zmzerzz'izwa H. E. VAIL.

COMBINED TROL-LEY POLE BASE AND GATGHER.

APPLICATION FILED Hum. 1911.

1 ,OO9 ,3 57. Patented-Nov. 21, 19 11.

' an Wm COLUMBIA PLANOGIAI" 60.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. VAIL, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO WALTER R. ANDREW AND ONE-THIRD TO EDWARD C. PARSONS, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

COMBINED TROLLEY-POLE BASE AND CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1911.

Application filed February 7, 1911. Serial No. 607,080.

in combined trolley pole bases and catchers,

to yieldably support the trolley pole and likewise to prevent damage to the trolley wire supports and hangers in event of the trolley wheel jumping the conductor wire, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily adapted without material structural changes to cars of difierent sizes and forms.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a device of this character wherein provision is made for automatically locking the trolley pole simultaneously from lateral movement and from upward movement in event of the trolley jumping the conductor wire.

With these and other objects in view the invention consist-s in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device applied, parts being broken away to illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with the trolley pole support in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the trolley pole support and a portion of the trolley pole, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail illustrating the relative positions of the parts in their tripped or released position; and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. l illustrating a modification in the construction.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device, as before stated,

may be applied to any of the various forms of cars employed upon trolley lines, and for the purpose of illustration a portion of a conventional car is indicated at 10 and upon which the trolley base is mounted.

The improved device comprises a base member 11 bolted or otherwise secured in any suitable manner to the car frame and provided with an upwardly directed stud l2. Mounted for rotation upon the stud 12 is a block like member 13, and held from 1 movement by a clamp nut 14 or other suitable device. By this means the member 13 is left free to rotate upon the stud 12 and supported by a shoulder 15 on the base 11 and prevented from upward movement by the nut 14. Connected to the member '13 at 1 its upper end and extending therefrom is a 1 horizontal bearing sleeve 16, and extending forwardly of the member 13 are spaced cars 17. Mounted to swing upon trunnions in the member 13 at opposite sides are uide devices 18-19,both of the trunnions eing represent-ed by dotted lines respectively at 18 and 19 in Fig. 2 and the trunnion 18 being also represented by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The stud 12 is provided withv a recess or socket 20 in which a bolt 21 is arranged to engagethrough a guide aperture 22 in the member 13. Connected to the face of the member 13 adjacent to the aperture 22 is a stop plate 23 through which a reduced portion 24 of the bolt 21 extends and provided at its outer end with a bearing block or button 25, and with a spring 26 between the button and the outer face i ofthe plate 23. By thismeans the bolt 21 is maintained yieldably in its outward position by the action of the spring 26, butwill be caused to enter the recess 20 in the stud 12 when pressure is applied to the button 25. By this means the member 13 and its attachments is locked from rotation upon the stud 12 when the bolt 21 is disposed in its inward position, as hereinafter ex plained.

Extending respectively through the guide devices 18-19 are relatively heavy rods 2728 having threaded terminals 2930 to receive adjusting nuts 3132. Extending transversely of the rods 2728 is a bearing plate 33 having guides 3435 through which the rods extend and with spaced cars 36 extending from the opposite face, the ears 36 corresponding to and being arranged opposite to the spaced ears 1 7 of the member 13. Pivoted between the ears 17 is a link member 37, while a similar link member 38 is pivoted at one end between the ears 36. At their confronting ends the members 3738 are provided with a rule joint 39 so arranged as to permit the members 3738 to be folded upwardly, but will eifectually prevent them from moving downwardly below a horizontal line. The member 37 is provided with a hammer lug 40 adapted to engage against the button 25 when the members 3738 are buckled upwardly and thus actuate the bolt 21, as hereinafter explained.

Relatively heavy springs 4142 are located respectively upon the rods 27 --28 and bear between the adjusting nuts 3132 and the plate 33, the springs likewise surrounding the guide members 34-35, as shown. By this means the force of the springs is utilized to retain the rods 27--28 yieldably in one position and likewise to maintain the members 3738 in their horizontally alined position, as will be obvious. A suitable rest 43 is located upon the deck 10 of the car in position to support the plate 33 and prevent deflection thereof.

The trolley pole is represented conventionally at 44 and is provided at its outer end with the usual harp 45 in which the trolley wheel '46 is mounted for rotation and in position to engage the trolley wire, indicated at 47. At its lower end the pole 4-4 is received in a two-part socket 48, the latter being coupled by clamp bolts 49 operating through ears 50, as shown. The socket member 48 is of suflicient length to firmly support the trolley pole 44, and is provided with two arms 5152 extending rearwardly thereof, as shown. A coupling pin 55 extends through the sleeve 16 and likewise through the terminals of the arms 5152. By this means the trolley pole together with its trolley Wheel is mounted to swing relative to the member 13, and likewise to partake of its rotative movement upon the stud 12. Depending from the member 51 is an arm 56, while a similar arm 57 depends from the member 52. At its forward end the rod 27 is forked, as shown at 58, and pivotally united to the arm 57, while the rod 28 is similarly forked, as shown at 59, and is coupled to the arm 56. By this means the force of the springs 41-42 is utilized to maintain the trolley pole yieldably in its operative position with the trolley wheel 46 in engagement with the trolley wire 47.

Thedevice thus far described constitutes an efiicient trolley base mechanism, and pos sesses all of the advantages of a device of this character.

The pivot. of the rule joint 39. by which the members 3738 are united is extended at the ends, and mounted to swing upon these extended ends are two bars 60, each bar being provided with a longitudinal slot 61 through which a pin 62 extends and also extends through the socket 48, the bars being thus slidably coupled to the socket member. Extending through the slots 61 above the socket is a stop pin 64 against which the socket engages to limit the upward movement of the trolley pole and its attachments. By this arrangement it will be obvious that when pressure is applied longitudinally of the bars 60 the members 3738 will be buckled upwardly, as shown in Fig. 4.

A pull rope, represented at 65, is connected to the trolley pole in the ordinary manner, to enable the conductor or motorman to engage the trolley wheel with the conductor wire.

With an apparatus thus constructed the operation is as follows: So long as the trolley wheel 46 is engaged with the conductor wire 47 and operating under normal conditions the members 3738 will remain in their horizontally alined position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the springs 41-42 operate to maintain the trolley pole and its attachments yieldably in its operative position. In event, however, of the trolley wheel jumping the conductor wire, the upward movement of the trolley pole will cause the socket 48 to engage the stop pin 64 and exert an upward pull upon the members 3738 through the connecting bars 60 and thus remove the strain from the springs 41-42 and permit the trolley pole to drop by gravity a suflicient distance to cause the trolley wheel to pass beneath the transverse stays and other supports of the trolley wire and prevent damage thereto, and the trolley pole will remain in its depressed position until restored. Then the members 37 38 are thus thrown into their upward position the hammer lug 40 will strike the button 25 and actuate the bolt 21 to cause it to engage the socket 20 of the stud l2 and thus lock the trolley base from rotative movement relative to the stud and to the car. By this means the trolley pole is effectually prevented from swinging laterally when released or when in its lower or inoperative position. When the trolley wheel is to be restored to its operative position the conductor or motorman draws downwardly upon the pull cord 65 until the pin 62 engages in the bottom of the slots 61, and the continued downward movement will restore the members 3738 to their horizontally alined position, and likewise release the pin 21 and permit its spring 26 to move it into its outward or inoperative position. As soon as the members 3738 are restored to their longitudinally alined position the strain is likewise restored to the springs 4142, and the trolley wheel can then be restored to its inoperative position in the ordinary manner and Without afliecting the members 60, as will be obvious.

A slight modification in the construction of the locking device is shown in Fig. 4, consisting in providing the bolt 21 with a leaf-spring, represented at 66, instead of the coiled spring 26, and substituting a swinging arm67 for the hammer 4:0 and providing the member 67 with a relatively heavy spring 68, the spring 68 being materially stronger than the spring 66 so that when the members 3738 are buckled upwardly the resistance of the spring 68 will be sufiicient to cause the member 67 to overcome the resistance of the spring 66 and actuate the bolt, 21, while at the same time the spring 68 will provide the requisite yieldableness to the movements of the members 37-38 to prevent breakage of the parts. Either form of the improved device may be employed, as preferred.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is 1. In a device of the class described, a supporting base having a vertically extending stud, a member mounted for rotation upon said stud, a trolley pole support carrying a trolley pole and mounted. to swing vertically upon said rotating member, and provided with depending arms, rods leading from said arms, springs carried by said rods, a stop member engaged by said springs, jointed bars connected between said rotating member and said stop member, longitudinally slotted bars connected at one end to said jointedbars, a stop pin extending through the, slots of said bars and engaging over said" trolley pole support, whereby the slotted bars will operate to displace the jointed bars when abnormal upward movement of the trolley pole occurs.

2. In a device of the class described, a supporting base having a vertically extending stud, a member mounted for rotation upon said stud, a trolley pole support mounted to swing Vertically upon said rotating member, a trolley pole mounted to swing upon said trolley pole support and having depending arms, rods extending from said arms, springs upon said rods, a stop member engaged by said springs, jointed bars connected between said rotating member and said stop member, connecting means between said trolley pole support and said jointed bars and operating to displace the same when abnormal upward movement of the trolley pole occurs, and a locking device mounted on the rotatable member located in position to engage said stud and operative by the jointed bars when disposed in displaced position.

3. In a device of the class described, a supporting base having a stud provided with a marginal socket, a member mounted for rotation upon said studya trolley pole support mounted to swing vertically upon said rotating member, springs connected to said trolley pole support, a stop member engaged by said springs, jointed bars connected between said rotating member and said stop member, connecting means between said trolley pole support and said jointed bars for displacing the same when abnormal upward movement of the trolley pole occurs, and a bolt carried by said rotating member in position to engage in said socket and extending into the path of said jointed bars, said bolt being operated by one of said bars to lock said rotating memher to said stud at the upward movement of the trolley pole.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. BARRETTE, E. B. CRrroHLow.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

